US charges Huawei with conspiracy

The United States filed charges on Monday, January 28, 2019, against Huawei Technologies, contending that the Chinese telecommunication giant stole trade secrets from a telecoms rival and violated US sanctions against doing business with Iran. The criminal indictments name Huawei, China’s largest Chinese smartphone maker; Huawei’s US affiliate, Hong Kong-based Skycom; and Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer. The charges claim they engaged in a conspiracy posing a national security threat to the US. Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker also confirmed that the US plans to file for extradition of Meng, who was detained by Canadian authorities at the request of the US. China’s foreign ministry reacted with a statement reiterating a call for Meng’s release and urging the US to “stop unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies including Huawei”.
(Photo: Reuters)